NATIVE WOMEN MISSING AND/OR MURDERED IN CANADA

CASES IN ALBERTA

MURDERED
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Sonya Ann Goodstriker

SONYA ANN GOODSTRIKER, aged 31 of Fort McLeod, Alberta disappeared on August 6, 2005 while visiting the Standoff area of Blood Tribe Reserve in Alberta.
As a result of a newspaper article in Lethbridge, Alta, Emily Goodstriker contacted me to see if I might be able to help her with the suspicious death of her daughter, Sonya.
Sonya left behind two young sons, aged 11 and 13 who need to have answers regarding how their mother died. The grandmother, Mrs. Emily Goodstriker, is now left raising her daughter's two young sons.
The circumstances surrounding Sonya's death are suspicious yet Mrs. Goodstriker does not feel she has been given upfront information from the police who are investigating. She understands that while the case is being investigated there may be some information that the police cannot share with anyone, however, she reports that they are suggesting that her daughter somehow ended up in that spot, naked, as a result of tearing her own clothing off as she hallucinated as she walked down that gravel road. This is absurd.
She reports to me that she was actually told by investigating police, that forensic evidence is only found on tv shows and not in reality.
Her daughter left their home on Aug. 6, 2005 to meet a man on Blood Tribe, named Clifford (Butch) Plume aka Clifford Twigg, who had allegedly been, as Mrs. Goodstriker describes, "stalking her for some time", via daily phone calls to their home, and to calls to their neighbour asking if Sonya had been seen around. Mr. Plume apparently was an old friend of Sonya's older brother.
On the evening she disappeared she apparently hitchhiked into town and got a ride to Blood Tribe and attended Mr. Plume's home. He phoned Mrs. Goodstriker to say that she had arrived with a case of beer and he did not allow beer in his home. It gets real shady at this point. Mrs. Goodstriker admits her daughter had a problem with alcohol and gravel and codeine, and claims she told Mr.Plume he was aware of Sonya's problems and asked why he wanted her there.
She received another call early the next morning from Mr. Plume saying that Sonya had left his home at 6:30 AM, and he told her to take his dog with her because of coyotes in the area.
Sonya was terrified of wild animals, and her mother feels she never would have left at that hour because of this.
When Sonya did not arrive home, the Goodstriker family reported her missing to Blood Tribe police, since it was on Blood Tribe territory that she was last seen. She was told that fliers would go up all over the place and that her disappearance would be in the news. When Mrs. Goodstriker checked with police a few days later she was assured the fliers were up. They looked however, and saw that none were up. Neither the postering of fliers or reports of her disappearance was done for several days.
Apparently when police interviewed Mr.Plume he refused to allow them into his home, and he refused to take two lie detector tests. The police report to Mrs. Goodstriker that they cannot force Mr. Plume to take a lie detector test.
Eventually search teams did go out, covering very little of Blood Tribe territory.
Mrs. Goodstriker sought the advice of a Medicine Man and was told that her daughter had been murdered and would be located near the bush on a road near where the tall grass was down due to rain. He also mentioned a horseshoe and a rock.
Another family member was told by another Medicine Man in Calgary that Sonya's body would be found and that she had been murdered.
Twenty two days after she disappeared, Sonya's naked body was located not far from Mr. Plume's home, on Blood Tribe Territory, laying next to a rock in what Mrs. Goodstriker describes as a horseshoe-shaped area. Sonya's naked body was found laying near tall grass that was down due to being rained on .
She reports that tire tracks were seen next to Sonya's body.
Also found was a clump of hair on a barbed wire fence which not far from and is directly en route from Mr. Plume's home to the gravel road. It was this piece of evidence that Mrs. Goodstriker asked the police about DNA evidence, and was told that only happens on tv.
Mrs. Goodstriker was not told by police about DNA possibly being found under fingernails, etc. She assures me that although her daughter was of small build, if she were being attacked, she would have fought back, meaning there may well have been DNA under her nails or on other parts of her body.
The body was autopsied and toxicology results are not yet back. Mrs. Goodstriker was not given any other information about findings of the autopsy, although was told that due to the condition of her daughter's body, they recommended that Sonya's body not be viewed by family members. For this reason, they have no way of knowing if Sonya had, in fact, been beaten, strangled, raped, etc.
When Sonya left her home that evening, she took with her a bag containing a change of clothing, some makeup and a few hygiene products such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. None of these items have been located, neither has the clothing was wearing when she arrived at Mr.Plume's home.
Mr. Plume is disabled - the result apparently of being tossed off the hood of a car that his ex girlfriend was driving while attempting to escape him, following an act of violence upon her by him in the 70's, apparently.
He does drive an old truck and was seen driving it in the Goodstriker neighbourhood while he was "stalking" Sonya, according to Mrs. Goodstriker. Apparently at the time of her disappearance, this truck was not in working order. Mrs.Goodstriker witnessed Mr. Plume at one time manage to get his wheelchair out of his truck and hoist himself out of the truck into the chair. She describes him as " a strong man".
Mrs. Goodstriker has not been told if molds of the tire tracks found near Sonya's body were taken and compared with Mr. Plume's truck or with other vehicles in the area.
It has been suggested that perhaps because Mr. Plume works for Blood Tribe as an adoptions counsellor, he may not be viewed as a possible perpetrator of violence - however he does have a history of violence against at least one other woman. In addition, Mrs. Goodstriker reports that he was persistent in ongoing, daily phone calls to her home, despite Sonya repeatedly telling him she was not interested in getting together with him, or even speaking with him on the phone. Mrs. Goodstriker believes that Sonya was somehow lured to his home that evening.
Apparently Mr. Plume told Sonya's older brother that he personally watched her leave and go down the road until she could no longer be seen the morning she disappeared.
Sonya Goodstriker was buried and not cremated which is good in as much as she can be exhumed at a later date for further testing if the need arises.

Anyone with information regarding the death of Sonya Goodstriker is asked to contact Blood Tribe Police at (403) 737-3800 or contact me via email.
Source: Goodstriker family



MISSING

Samantha Evelyn Belcourt

SAMANTHA EVELYN BELCOURT, aged 12 of Edmonton, Alberta was reported missing from a home in the area of 88 Street and 121 Avenue on October 9, 2004. She has been spotted several times since then including by a family friend. However, police and family members are concerned for her welfare and are hoping members of the public can assist in locating Samantha.
Samantha is Native, 5’ 2” (157 cm) tall, 120 lbs. (54 kg) She has dark brown hair and brown eyes. She has a stocky build.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Samantha Evelyn Belcourt is asked to contact the EPS dispatch line at 423-4567.



MURDERED

Mary Ida Periard

MARY IDA PERIARD, aged 70, of Saddle Lake First Nation, Alberta was found dead in her residence on February 25, 2005.
Mary was a well loved member/Elder of her community.
Michel Leo Joseph PERIARD, 37, of Cold Lake, Alberta was detained at the scene and later charged with Second Degree Murder.


MISSING

Maggie Burke

MAGGIE LEE BURKE, aged 21 of Edmonton Alberta disappeared December 9, 2004. Maggie is described as a 21 year old Aboriginal female, 170 cm or 5' 7" tall, weighing approximately 55 kg or 120 lbs. She had brown eyes and naturally brown hair with red streaks at the time she was last seen.
At the time of her disappearance BURKE was engaged in the sex trade industry, a high risk lifestyle, in the area of 118th Avenue in Edmonton. The Project KARE Proactive Insurgence Team in cooperation with Edmonton Police Service and community organizations in the Edmonton area have been following up on investigational leads, all of which have been met with negative results. Project KARE and the Edmonton Police Service are treating this case as a missing person where foul play is suspected and as such are issuing an appeal to the public for any information that might assist in locating BURKE.
Police are requesting anyone that has any information on the location of Maggie BURKE or may have seen her after December 09, 2004 to call Project KARE, toll free at 1-877-412-KARE(5273) or the Edmonton Police Service at 423-4567 or Crime Stoppers, toll free 1 - 800 - 222 - 8477 ( TIPS ).



MISSING

Lisa Marie Willier

LISA MARIE WILLIER, aged 15, of Bonnyville, Alberta, was last seen on October 13, 2004, in the town of Bonnyville, in the company of other youths from the area.
To date, her family has been unable to contact her.
Lisa Marie WILLIER is described as an Aboriginal Female, 160 cms (5'3"), 54 kgs (118 lbs), brown eyes, shoulder length brown hair. Lisa was last seen wearing blue jeans, and a black ‘hoodie’
If anyone has any information as to the exact whereabouts of Lisa Marie WILLIER they are being asked to contact the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment @ 780-826-3358 or 780-826-3350.



MURDERED

Nina Courtepatte

NINA COURTEPATTE, aged 13 of Edmonton was lured to a golf course near West Edmonton Mall by an adult and three teens and brutally beaten to death. RCMP Const. Craig Albers said Courtepatte apparently knew two of the accused.
"She was taken out, misled, given information and then suffered a very violent death,'' Albers told reporters. "It's disturbing to all our investigators and probably to almost everybody in our communities.''
Nina was an aspiring model and loved dearly by her family. Autopsy reports that there was no drugs or alcohol in her system and she died of blunt force trauma.
liked to hang out at the West Edmonton Mall, Canada's largest shopping centre and a popular teen hangout. The girl was last spotted in a security video in the mall April 1, and her parents last heard from her on the phone shortly after midnight April 2.
Her body was found April 4 near the fourth hole of the Edmonton Springs Golf Course. An autopsy indicated the cause of death was "blunt force trauma."
Courtepatte's family say the young girl's future held promise. She aspired to become a model, and a family friend says Nina recently won a $500 scholarship to a modeling school.
Nina's sister, Trandis Arsenault, was one of the many in the family who showed up at court Wednesday to see the accused.
"I had to come out here," Arsenault said, "to see who would do such a thing to a beautiful young girl."
The four accused -- Michael Erin Briscoe, 34, of Edmonton, Joseph Laboucan, 19, of Fort St. John, B.C., and a 17-year-old youth and girl from Edmonton - face first-degree murder charges.


MURDERED



Monique Pitre



MONIQUE PITRE , aged 30 of Edmonton. Monique's body was discovered in a field south of Fort Saskatchewan on Jan. 7, 2003. The 30-year-old Edmonton woman was known to be involved in the sex trade, Strathcona County RCMP said Sunday.

An autopsy determined her death was a homicide.

The cause of death is not being made public, said Const. Darren Anderson, a spokesman for the detachment. "For the sake of the investigation, certain evidence is being held back at this time."

The police would also not reveal how many days Monique's body remained undiscovered in the field.

An area farmer made the grisly discovery late Wednesday after observing coyotes and other predators in the area.

Anderson said Monique's immediate family lives in eastern Canada. She was never reported missing.
UNSOLVED



MURDERED

Joanne Ghostkeeper
JOANNE GHOSTKEEPER , aged 24, of Edmonton, found strangled in her fourth-floor Edmonton apartment Boxing Day 1996.

Her father, Don Ghostkeeper said in an interview with the Edmonton Sun , "It bothers me a lot. How did these women get killed? I don't care what kind of lifestyle these girls led, they're still human beings. It doesn't mean they can be murdered freely. It's getting terrible."

UNSOLVED



MURDERED

Joyce Marie Cardinal

JOYCE MARIE CARDINAL, aged of Edmonton, 1993.
Ms. Cardinal was beaten, doused with Gasoline and burned alive in 1993. She was doused with so much gasoline that flames from her body were five feet high and she was still burning when fire trucks arrived some time later to put out what had been reported as a rubbish fire. Fire fighters put out the flames by packing snow on her body (water would have been fatal if it had been used on the frigid November Alberta night).
Amazingly, Cardinal lived for 22 days before succumbing to her injuries just before Christmas in 1993.
Original media accounts of the savage crime against an unidentified woman sparked powerful outrage from the community. However, when she was identified a few days later as a "mentally disabled native woman," community interest in the case dropped rapidly. A police spokesperson remarked that sudden community loss of interest in the case was making it difficult to investigate.
Joyce Cardinal's family were quick to point out that Joyce was not mentally impaired but that many people who did not know her thought that she was because she had a severe speech impairment. This distinction was important to Joyce's family, probably because it had been important to Joyce. Ms. Cardinal is again identified as "mentally-handicapped" in the August 11, Edmonton Sun newsstory of the arrest.
Without much public help, the police made little porgress on the case.
Joyce had left a party at a cousin's apartment shortly before midnight, about 45 minutes before her burning body was discovered. A man had been seen running not far from the fire carrying a gas can.
Now, police believe that they have that man in custody. On August 10, 2000, Police indicated that they had arrested a suspect in the gruesome 1993 murder of Joyce Marie Cardinal.
The case had been invstigated since 1998 by Edmonton's three-person Historical Homicide Unit (AKA the cold case squad). Todd Christopher Elliot, 25, was arrested in Abbottsford, BC. He is believed to have been a stranger to Ms. Cardinal.
Several members of the Cardinal family have expressed relief that a suspect is finally in custody.
Outcome of trial is not yet known.




MURDERED

Kelly Dawn Reilly

KELLY DAWN REILLY, aged 24 of Edmonton . On January 14, 2001, Kelly burshes off her mothers pleas to stay home and heads out to Edmonton's seedy 96th Street, where another prostitute sees her get into a sports car with two men. That night, her mother, Pat has an eerie feeling she will not see her daughter alive again.
Two anguished weeks later, Kelly is found dead behind a gravel operation in the area of Range Road 264 and secondary highway 633, near Villeneuve. on Jan. 27, 2001.
Her mother faults the police for not seriously investigating her daughter's disappearance before Kelly's body was found, and believes that if Kelly had been a teacher or a businesswoman, they would have taken her disappearance seriously.
When Kelly was little, Pat Reilly often felt as though she were talking to a teenaged midget. The precocious girl, who was always bringing "cats home and dogs home and people home," had a way about her that was far beyond her years.
She struggled at school and was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder when she was 9.
"They timed her attention. It was five seconds. That's how long you could hold her attention on one thing," said Ms. Reilly, a 53-year-old welder. "Her workable time in an hour was 12 minutes. And they were really amazed at what she did know."
But Kelly was an exceptional jazz dancer who could play the guitar or piano just by watching someone else.
Ms. Reilly found out her daughter was using drugs after she threw away little silver pieces of paper, thinking they were garbage. Kelly, who was 16, later asked where her drugs were.
She went to detox programs "a million times" but was hard to treat, her mother says, because of her ADD. After she was released, she would inevitably start using cocaine again.
She started working the streets at about 17. "A friend of a friend was doing that and she seemed to be impressed by the money that she had all the time."
And at a party on her 17th birthday, Kelly, who never knew her father, was raped and became pregnant. She named her little girl Aphracia, and Ms. Reilly took care of her. When Aphracia was 3, Ms. Reilly sent them to Calgary — one of several times she had Kelly go out of town in hopes of a fresh start. When they returned, mother and child had finally bonded.
For a while, Kelly settled down and attended a job-training program. She had a boyfriend, an apartment and held a Christmas celebration. And she got pregnant again.
Halfway through the pregnancy, she broke up with her boyfriend and starting using drugs again. In September, 1999, she gave birth to a boy, who was taken away from her at the hospital because there were traces of cocaine in his system.
"She couldn't stop. She was always saying, 'Like, why don't you understand me?' " Ms. Reilly recalled. "I said, 'I can't understand you,' "
For Pat Reilly, her daughter lives on through eight-year-old Aphracia, now in her custody.
"Aphracia told me that, 'If you're going to take the place of my mother, then you're going to have to take me to the park. You're going to have to take me to the zoo and you're going to have to take me to McDonald's. And you're going to have to give me lots of hugs, because that's what my mom did.' "
Despite getting on with their lives, every time a woman's body is found in rural areas outside Edmonton, Ms. Reilly's heart grow a little heavier.
"There's just too many [killings] happening," Ms. Reilly said. "I find it hard because it brings back a lot of memories and a lot of pain."
UNSOLVED






Ginger Lee Bellerose
MURDERED

GINGER LEE BELLEROSE , aged 26, the mother of a small chid, was beaten to death Apr. 25, 2001, at International Hotel. in Edmonton. The medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt cranial trauma.
With the assistance of the Medicine Hat Police Service, the Edmonton Police Service homicide detectives have arrested and charged a 52-year-old man, Richard David DOUGLAS, in relation to the murder of Ginger Lee BELLEROSE in 2003.
He is in custody and is being charged with 2nd degree murder. He goes to trial in October, 2004.





MISSING

Deanna Marie Bellerose

DEANNA MARIE BELLEROSE, aged 29, of Edmonton Alberta, has been missing since August, 2002.
Her birthday is October 29th.
Deanna is the mother of four children. She loved her children very much and always did her best to provide for them. At the time she disappeared, Deanna was trying to get into a treatment centre so she could have custody of her children full time. She wanted nothing more than to get clean so this could happen.
She is the sister of Ginger Bellerose who was murdered. Ginger's story is directly above this one. Deanna and Ginger were very close, always protecting and looking out for each other.
A family member wrote saying, "these women, were more than "hookers" they come from good families. They are women who are loved and thought of everyday. They did not deserve to die these tragic and horrible deaths. Somebody or I guess, "we their families" need to keep fighting the fight to ensure they are not forgotten or belittled and degraded even after they are gone. Something has to change, the police, the media and the public, have to change their attitudes and realize that these women have families and people who care about them.
Deanna was the kind of person who joked around all the time and made you laugh. She had a big heart and cared about others.
Deanna has two brothers and a large family who are clinging to hope that she will be found someday soon, a family who misses her and prays for her every day. A family who wants justice and closure, and something done to stop these crimes, so other families don't have to face the same pain and anguish. I wish she would walk through the door at my work and say "come on Aunty let's go for coffee" as she did so often before she went missing. "
IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF DEANNA MARIE BELLEROSE, PLEASE contact EDMONTON POLICE.
UNSOLVED



MURDERED

JESSICA CARDINAL , aged 24 was found in an alley behind a discarded shelving unit on June 14, 1997. Jessica was found in an alley behind a commercial building at 9325-111th Avenue. She had been strangled. UNSOLVED.



MURDERED

Lorraine Wray
LORRAINE WRAY , aged 46, a masseuse and mother of one, is found strangled in the bedroom of her business. UNSOLVED.



MURDERED

Sherry Ann Upright

SHERRY ANN UPRIGHT , aged 25, found dead at the scene of an auto accident near Fort Saskatchewan Jan. 3, 1999. A friend last saw Upright, a prostitute, on the corner of 104 Avenue and 95 Street in Edmonton at about 3 a.m. Jan. 3, police say.

The friend saw Upright get into a small white car. She was to meet the friend again at 3:20 a.m., but failed to show up.

Later that morning, at 8:30 a.m., Fort RCMP were called to a single vehicle rollover crash east of Fort Saskatchewan. A white 1990 Honda was found in the ditch. Upright's body had been thrown out of the car, as well as the driver, who was badly injured and had to be air lifted to the University of Alberta Hospital.

Because there had been a death, the special collision analysts were called to the scene. Upright's body was taken to the Fort Saskatchewan hospital where it was examined.

By Jan. 5, the medical examiner had confirmed that Upright had died from strangulation some time before the car crash. On Jan. 9, the driver of the car, Richard Benjamin Spencer, age 26, of Edmonton, was charged with first degree murder.

The judge found that Mr. Spencer ingested cocaine then picked thie victim up for the purpose of sex, then strangled her with his tie. He was found guilty, and lost his appeal.
To read some trial reports click Here



MURDERED

Edna Bernard
EDNA BERNARD , aged 28, whose burned body was found Sept. 23, 2002 near Leduc, left behind six children, all under the age of 10, including a newborn, all of whom are now in are in foster homes.

Edna's parents have said she was trying to get out of prostitution.

UNSOLVED



MISSING

Delores Brower

DELORES BROWER, aged 33 of Edmonton, Alberta, was last seen on 118 Avenue and 70th Street by Project KARE members on the 13th of May, 2004 at 05:40 in the morning. At that time, she was hitch-hiking, attempting to get a ride west-bound on the avenue. Delores was wearing a black sweater and black jeans and her hair was down and long.
Delores is described as a 33 year old Metis woman with long brown hair and brown eyes. She is 5'3' tall and weighs approximately 110 pounds. She has scarring on both her left and right forearms.
Delores also goes by the nickname “Spider” and was engaged in a high risk lifestyle, in the sex trade industry on 118th Avenue.
The Project KARE investigators and insurgence team have worked in concert with the Edmonton Police Service as well as with other community social agencies in an effort to locate Delores. Numerous efforts have been made to locate Delores but have met with negative results. Project KARE and the Edmonton Police Service are regarding this case as a missing person where foul play is suspected and, therefore, are pursuing all avenues of investigation.
Police are requesting that anyone who may have any information on the location of Delores BROWER or who may have seen her after the 13th of May, 2004, to call (780) 495-KARE (5273) locally or toll free at 1-877-412-KARE (5273), or the Edmonton Police Service at (780) 423-4567 or CrimeStoppers, toll free, at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). If Ms. Brower becomes aware of our interest, she is encouraged to contact the investigators.




MURDERED

Debbie Lake

DEBBIE LAKE, was last seen in Edmonton on November 4, 2002 when she left her home to make a call from a phone booth down the street and reported missing to Edmonton Police Service November 5, 2002. Debbie was a sex trade worker.
Her skull was found on April 12, 2003, north of Camrose, near Miquelon Lake, and through DNA it was was identified as Debbie's. The rest of her remains have not yet been found. Without a body, experts have been unable to determine how she died.
She was the mother of four young children.
Three other prostitutes remain missing, according to city police.
Investigators have been concerned for months that a serial killer could be on the loose but so far have no evidence to confirm the theory.
"There's similarities here, there's no question about that, because you've got another sex-trade worker found in a rural area," said Fraser. "But we have to work on the basis of fact, and until we have something that presents itself to say conclusively there's one or more people involved in one or more deaths, we have to remain objective. "We have to maintain our objectivity and treat them all as individual investigations."

Lake's mother, Mary Lake of Moose Jaw, Sask., said Wednesday she doesn't believe her daughter was working as a prostitute.
"It's not true," she said. "I know my daughter."
She lived a hard life, marred by drugs and physical abuse, Lake said. "But she wasn't a prostitute."
When she learned her daughter had disappeared, Mary Lake hoped she had gone into hiding.
"I was thinking eventually she'd give us a call and she would be fine."
Lake, who has raised three of her daughter's four children for the past two years, said Debbie had reconciled with her husband before she went missing. They were living in a converted bus behind a house near 105th Avenue and 78th Street that was known for its loud parties.
Two weeks before Debbie Lake disappeared, her father paid the couple a visit.
"She was happy-go-lucky," said Mary. "Never had a worry in the world."
Police are requesting the public's assistance in providing any information regarding Debbie's disappearance, last known whereabouts or associates. If you have any information please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
UNSOLVED

MURDERED

Barbara Eyapaise



BARBARA EYAPAISE , aged 24 , Reported missing January 17, 2002.

The last known person to see a missing Calgary woman said two men are responsible for her disappearance.
"She got in the car with them at her house and they left, " said Fred Abma.
Police want anyone at the Renegades bar at 3745 Memorial Dr. E., on the evening of Jan. 17 who remember Eyapaise being there to contact them.
"We are anxious to hear from anyone who saw her there, who may remember any conversations she had, or any disputes, or who saw her leave, " said Det. Len Howland.
Investigators know before reaching the Renegades bar, Barbara had earlier been drinking at the Cecil Hotel at 401 4 Ave. S.E.

Barbara's remains were found in the Bow River, about 40 miles from Calgary on April 27, 2002. The area is downstream from McKinnon Flats, a popular fishing area south of Highway 22X that was searched in February.

Calgarian Frederick Richard Abma, 25, has been charged with first-degree murder. "It was a relief as we had laid our daughter to rest just a few hours before" Barbara's mother said.
Police have said Eyapaise was last seen leaving Renegades bar on Memorial Drive N.E. with Abma, who was working as the bar's doorman at the time. Police are searching for clothing Eyapaise was wearing that evening, including a brown plaid jacket, beige turtleneck sweater, black dress slacks, dark brown/black calf-high high heel boots and undergarments. They are also looking for a black cloth purse with two handles, a gold bracelet and a wristwatch with a Velcro strap. ( Calgary Herald )
UPDATE

On November 28 2003, Abma was found guilty of first degree murder.Queen's Bench Justice Peter McIntyre called the 26-year-old man a serial liar, and found him guilty of first-degree murder. Abma has been automatically sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Article on conviction and sentencing can be found by clicking Here





MURDERED

Roberta Okeymow

ROBERTA OKEYMOW, a Cree woman of Alberta witnessed a crime spree consisting of drugs, stolen property, robbery and forcible confinement.When she threatened to go to police, she was brutally stabbed and killed. She did not know her killers.
Okeymow broke away from her original confinement in the car of the two accused, but was caught and forcibly returned to the car by the appellant. Held against the driver's side of the car, she was brutally beaten by Cardinal. She pleaded that she was an epileptic and was needing her medication. Her body, examined later, showed wide receipt of force trauma.
Matthew Colin Cardinal and Douglas Paul Parenteau were charged and convicted of her murder. Cardinal's appeal report can be read by clicking Here . Parenteau died in prison before his appeal.



MURDERED

Rebecca Boutilier

REBECCA BOUTILIER, aged 20 of Calgary. On March 11, 1993, Boutilier's corpse was found in the 7000 block of McKnight Blvd. N.E.
She had been stabbed to death.
Barry Thomas Niedermier, a 43-year-old convicted pimp, was arrested in Lethbridge and faces more than a dozen charges in connection with assaults on seven Vancouver prostitutes from 1995 to 1997.
"The CPS is certainly interested in any possible links between (Niedermier's) alleged activities in the Vancouver area and any unsolved crimes of a similar nature here in Calgary," said city police Insp. Harvey Cenaiko.
Niedermier is well known to both Vancouver and Lethbridge Police.
Niedermier was sentenced to 14 months in jail for being a pimp to a 14-year-old girl 10 years ago. Niedermier met the girl in Calgary as a customer. He then took her to Vancouver and put her to work on the streets there. The B.C. officer who arrested Niedermier said the girl was so frightened she wanted her teddy bear from the grimy east-side room where she was being kept before she agreed to turn in her pimp.
Police there said Niedermier was known for the succession of bedraggled women who passed through his door and manic behaviour police say was fuelled by an out-of-control drug addiction.( Calgary Sun, Top Story Aug 9/99)






MURDERED

Hazel Ann Coombs

HAZEL ANN COOMBS, aged 10 weeks old was found outside her crib, on the floor when police responded to a disturbance call by neighbours on July 4, 2001.
This happened in Edmonton Alberta.
The baby's father, Mike Krywohyza, said the family had just returned from a camping trip and he left the woman and baby at home while he went to his father's house to return some borrowed camping gear. He said he had decided to spend the night at his fathers house and was shocked to learn his daughter had been harmed.
Hazel Ann was taken off life support a few days later and died.
Her mother, Krystal Coombs, 18 was convicted of manslaughter in her death.
The prosecutor suggested that a penitentiary sentence in the range of 5 - 7 years would be appropriate. Ms. Coombs urged the court to use infanticide as the model for sentencing which would then focus on her diminished responsibility for this crime; and given that she has already spent a considerable period of time in jail, she proposed that she should now be sentenced either to a conditional sentence of imprisonment to be served in the community, or probation.
Ms. Coombs was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment followed by 3 years probation. The judge felt she had served the custodial portion of her sentence awaiting trial, and gave her 1 day in custody plus 3 years probation.
To read trial reports click Here and Here




MURDERED

Vivian Rose Paddy

VIVIAN ROSE PADDY, aged 33, of Edmonton Alberta, was found beaten to death on the back steps of the vacant Alex Taylor school near Jasper Avenue and 93rd Street. Police were called around 5:30 in the morning after a woman reported hearing a man yelling.
Paddy, a mother of four young children who live in other Alberta communities, had recently moved to Edmonton from Wetaskiwin, 75 km south of Edmonton, and was originally from Saskatchewan.
"We're taking it hard," said Pamela Horse, 31, just hours after her family in Turtleford, Sask., heard about Paddy's murder. "We want the people who did it to be caught - to pay for what they did. "They made her kids orphans."
Edmonton Police are trying to retrace Vivian's steps before she died.Police Sgt. Guy Kinney said while police haven't pinpointed the victim's exact time of death, she appeared to have died shortly before police arrived on scene.
Detectives are asking anyone who may have seen or heard anything strange around the school late Friday night or early Saturday to call them at 423-4567.
UNSOLVED

MISSING


Rhonda Running Bird
RHONDA RUNNING BIRD , aged 25. DOB: November 22, 1969. Missing since March 30, 1995 in the Swan Lake Recreational Area, near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. WEIGHT: 125lbs. Rhonda wears glasses. HEALTH: poor. She was using a kidney colostomy bag due to a severe beating. She was scheduled for surgery March 31, 1995.

Rhonda disappeared under suspicious circumstances during a day long hunting trip she took with her husband, her 18 month old baby, and her husband's aunt. Their truck allegdly got stuck in mud and her husband states he was angry that the truck was stuck and went stomping into the woods with his shotgun. After some time, Rhonda left to get help, leaving her baby with her husband's aunt in the truck.

There are a lot of discrepencies in this story. The aunt claims Rhonda was dressed in two sets of clothing and put her running shoes over her husbands. Rhonda wore a size 8 and her husband, a size 10. It would be impossible for her to do this.
She claims Rhonda walked off after dark, into the bush trying to reach a store they had seen on the way in. Rhonda, however walked off to the north-northwest and the store was northeast of where the truck got stuck. Rhonda was experienced in the outdoors and would not have made this mistake. It is also strange that Rhonda would attempt to walk the 30 miles considering her poor health. Rhonda's mother reports that when she had seen her daughter just a few days before she went missing, Rhonda was barely able to walk because of her medical condition. Rhonda was scheduled for surgery the day after she disappeared.

The husband states he found his way back to the truck the next morning as the result of his aunt repeatedly beeping the horn. They both claim they were stranded there another night as they were unable to find their way out. Rhonda's family find this strange as they where only about a mile off the road. After the first half mile you can see and hear the road. Also this road is used year long.
They then stated they spent ANOTHER night out on that road. Eventually they flogged down a truck and used the drivers cell phone to call a relative to come get them. Once they were safely home, her husband asked another relative to report Rhonda missing. Then he and his relative went back out, supposedly to get the truck.
The police were unable to locate the husband for three days. He then led them to where the truck was.
At that time a massive search and rescue mission took place, involving police, dogs and professional search and rescue teams. They searched the entire area and found only an unused colostomy bag and a set of clothing that were Rhonda's. A pair of eyeglasses were also found. These items were found hear the truck. Her family said they belonged to Rhonda but the police say they were not Rhonda's. IF the police were correct and they were not hers, WHO'S were they?
After searching for several days, The Medical Examiner decided that Rhonda could not have survived in those weather conditions and presumed she was dead. The search was called off.
Rhonda's family then began their own search, which lasted five years. They were never able to find Rhonda's remains.

Rhonda's husband has never participated in searches for his wife. Anyone with any information is asked to contact: missingrhondarunningbird@yahoo.ca

UNSOLVED

MURDERED

Georgette Flint
GEORGETTE FLINT , aged 19. Her her half-naked decomposed body was found in September 1988. Her cause of death was never determined and her killer never found.
Georgette's mother, Lynn Karpetz , of Edmonton, is outraged that Alberta's child prostitution law was struck down, saying the legislation could have saved her daughter's life. She says the decision will only benefit pimps, drug dealers, and johns. Her daughter began prostituting at age 16, and she was actively trying to find help for Georgette. The judge ruled it is unconstitutional to allow police to lock suspected young hookers in safe houses for 72 hours without an arrest warrant.
UNSOLVED




MURDERED

Jennifer Janz
JENNIFER JANZ, of Calgary, Alberta, on July 12, 1991.
Jennifer was last seen leaving the Calgary Rockyview Hospital emergency department on July 12, 1991, the same day her parents reported her missing to the police. They had last seen her July 10 at the Peter Lougheed Centre (hospital). She called her mother on July 12 and said, "I'll phone you next week. I'm coming home for supper."
Jennifer "had gotten involved with the wrong crowd" according to her father. -
She had graduated from Glenmore Christian Academy (grade 9) and moved out of her father's home. She had been living in the Avenue 15 Runaway-Homeles Care Shelter for a week in 1990, and was living on the streets otherwise.
A friend, Jeff Van Bloomestein, doubted that Janz was working as a prostitute. In September 1990, she tried to quit life on the streets and attended a Christian camp in Texas for two months; when she returned in November, she moved in with her mother, Trudy Shaner.
In February 1991 she started at James Fowler High School but after six weeks "her troubles began again"; she moved into her own place but after two months she started drifting to friends' places again.
Jennifer's body was found August 13, 1991; workers at a construction site uncovered it at around 11 a.m. and called police. An autopsy showed that she died of a chest injury consistent with a blunt trauma.
Police refer to her as a "chronic case" in the Calgary Herald on October 17, 1991; they note that about 20 teenage girls "who fit the unsettled lifestyles" are on the streets of Calgary at that time.

UNSOLVED


MURDERED

April Lambert

APRIL LAMBERT, aged 12 disappeared from the Bushie River Reserve near Edmonton on Aug. 29, 1998.
Robert Chris McKenzie ran over her that day, killingher. He admitted later that in an attempt to hide her body, he mutilated her and burned her body, digging a hole and putting her remains in it, and throwing some off a bridge.
He was convicted of manslaughter and interference of humane remains, and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
To read his appeal report, click Here



MURDERED

Bernadette Ahenakew

BERNADETTE AHENAKEW, aged 22, the mother of three, was found dead in a ditch alongside a rural road east of Edmonton on Oct. 25, 1989. UNSOLVED.



MURDERED

Mavis Mason
MAVIS MASON, aged 29 found stabbed to death on a rural road west of Edmonton. UNSOLVED.

MURDERED

Gail Cardinal
GAIL CARDINAL, aged 21. Gail's skeletal remains were found in 1983 10 kilometres south of Fort Saskatchewan. RCMP spokesperson Roxanne Beaubien says Cardinal had a "high-risk lifestyle." UNSOLVED.



MURDERED


MURDERED

Rachel Quinney

RACHEL QUINNEY, aged 19, of Edmonton was last seen alive on June 6, 2004. She was the mother of two young children, and had worked as a prostitute for only 3 years.
Rachel's body was found in a wooded area east of Sherwood Park, in a grove of trees, RCMP say.
Rachel, the sixth woman to be found murdered in the Edmonton area, was found on June 11, 2004. Her death has led police to admit that there may be one person repsonsible for some of the deaths, but RCMP won't use the term "serial killer."
Police suspect that the killer of at least some of these women is a john, a man who pays to purchase sexual favours from prostitutes.
Delhia Quinney, Rachels mother wants her daughter's death to serve as a warning to other girls on the streets.
"You young girls, you ladies out there, please. It is time to get off the streets, because you don't know what you put your loved ones through," she said as she buried 19-year-old Rachel.
She also begged her daughter's killer to turn themselves in.
Rachel's aunt, Virginia Lajimodiere, says if some women leave the street because of her niece's death, some good will have come from it.
"And even though Rachel is gone, she is still talking and what she is saying is a powerful message, more or less directed to the young people, to the women out there, to better their lives," Lajimodierie said. "She is a great teacher." UNSOLVED.



MURDERED

Lynn Minia Jackson

LYNN MINIA JACKSON, aged 34, (born 1970) a member of the Saddle Lake Band.
Ms. Jackson's remains were found on June 21, 2004, east of Wetaskiwin in an aggressive hiking area.
Police became aware of Lynn's’s identity through a tip received indicating that Lynn had not been seen for some time. JACKSON had not been reported to the Police as a missing person.
The Edmonton Medical Examiner’s Office was able to positively identify Lynn by way of dental records obtained by Police. The cause of death has not been determined and the Police continue to treat this as a suspicious death, due to the location in which she was found.

Anyone with information regarding Ms. Jackson's murder, or any information about her days leading up to her death are asked to notify The Wetaskiwin / Hobbema General Investigation Section at (780)312-7200 or Crime Stoppers, toll free, at 1-800-222-TIPS ( 8477 ) UNSOLVED.



MURDERED

Cheryl Lynn Black

CHERYL LYNN BLACK, aged 46, frpm Siksika First Nation , east of Calgary. Cheryl's charred body was found in an Edmonton dumpster , and are looking for any information about her last days.
They believe that the fire was set deliberately, and that Cheryl Lynn Black was alive when it started.
Cheryl recently moved to Edmonton, and was living on the street. She had received a ticket for public drunkeness three days before she died.
Her body was found May 18 in a dumpster behind the Walterdale Playhouse in Old Strathcona. She was so badly burned that it took three months to identify her. Police interviewed homeless people and looked through missing persons' reports. Hospital X-rays were finally used to confirm who she was.
Cheryl, who had been convicted of murdering her partner, and sentenced to seven years, had been out of prison a short time, lving in shelters and on the street. Cheryl lived in fear that her victim's friends may one day seek revenge.
Geraldine St. Germain, Black's aunt, said her niece was "haunted" by her husband's killing and had gotten threats she would be tracked down for revenge.
UNSOLVED



MURDERED

Francesca Laboucan

FRANCESCA LABOUCAN, aged of Little Buffalo, Alberta was stabbed to death by her ex partner in front of her five year old son on Februry 3, 2003. He forced his way into her small home on that date, violating a restraining order she had on him for an earlier assault, and when he was told to leave, he became violent.
Dallas Rueben Wade Chalifoux plead guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in prison, and a lifetime order to not have in his possession any weapon of any kind.



MURDERED

Brenda Moreside

BRENDA MORESIDE a 37 year old Metis woman, was stabbed to death in High Prairie, Alberta on February 13 ,2005.
Brenda was involved with a violent man, and had called police just months before, when he abused her but for some reason did not press charges.
On February 13th, 2005, Brenda called RCMP to report he was outside her home attempting to get in. The dispatcher told her he had the right to go into the home since he had lived there. Police chose to go for a donut and ignored her call. An inquiry has been called to address why they did not respond to her call. She lay dead in her home for 12 days before her body was found.
Her ex boyfriend has a long and violent criminal history, including dozens of convictions ranging from assault with a weapon to threatening death and second-degree murder.
Stanley Willier, of High Prairie has been charged with second degree murder.



MURDERED

Carmen l'Hirondelle

CARMEN L'HIRONDELLE,, aged 25 of High Prairie, was killed October 18 2004. Carmen , the mother of 3, was employed at High Prairie Medical Clinic as a Youth Representative.
On that day, apparently Carmen was shopping in Kinuso, when she at some point, met up with Randy Cardinal.
Her body was later discovered laying next to her car in an abandoned wooded area approximately 25 kilometers from where she was last seen.
Randy Kendall Cardinal, 25, is charged with second degree murder for her death.



MURDERED

Madeline Noskey

MADELINE NOSKEY, of Trout Lake Alberta was murdered. Further details will follow.





MURDERED

Shirley Lyne Laboucan

SHIRLEY LYNE LABOUCAN, of John D'or Prairie was murdered. No further details available yet.



MURDERED

Geraldine Letendre

GERALDINE LETENDRE of Loon River, Alberta was shot to death on June 7, 2002. Her common-law husband, Paddy Noskey, a former chief on the reserve, was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.



MURDERED

Jessica Leah Noskey

JESSICA LEAH NOSKEY, aged 25, of Marten Lake (which is part of the Woodland Cree First Nation) was murdered in July of 2001. The RCMP charged a 23-year-old Daniel Justin Laboucan of Marten Lake First Nation. Allen Roy Grey, 41 was also shot in this incident.



MURDERED

Andrea Grey

ANDREA GREY and Rhonda Whitehead were killed in a double murder/suicide on the Whitefish Lake(Atikimeg) First Nation in May of 1999. No further details available yet.



MURDERED

Rhonda Whitehead

RHONDA WHITEHEAD and Andrea Greywere killed in a double murder/suicide on the Whitefish Lake(Atikimeg) First Nation in May of 1999.No further details available yet.



MURDERED

Arlene Thunder

ARLENE THUNDER of Whitefish Lake was found behind a hotel in Peace River in 1994. No further details available yet.



MURDERED

Virgina Johannsen

VIRGINIA JOHANNSEN, was murdered in High Level Alberta in 1994. No further details available yet.



. MISSING

Roberta May Ferguson

ROBERTA MAY FERGUSON, aged 19, of Grimshaw, Alberta, disappeared in 1988.
Terry Arnold was suspect in Roberta's disappearance.
Terry Arnold --a suspect in several murders of women and girls and a convicted sexual molester-- was released from prison in 2002. Arnold confessed to the murder of 16 year old Christine Browne in 1997. After serving 5 years of a life sentence for that murder he was granted a new trial on appeal because of court procedure mistakes by defense. Crown decided not to retry him despite his confession to the murder setting him free to kill again.
He was convicted for sexually assaulting (in 1988) a teenage girl in BC. He spent 8 years in prison for sexually assaulting 4 Newfoundland girls.
He committed suicide in prison before being convicted of Roberta and other murders.





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Women's Memorial Quilt	Dreams/Visions about the Vancouver Missing Women case	Beaded White Ribbons for Sale (FUNDRAISER FOR QUILT)	Missing Women Poster
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